The Brain — is wider than the Sky —
For — put them side by side —
The one the other will contain
With ease — and you — beside —
-Emily Dickinson
Breath concentration, mantra japa, body scan, open noticing, deity visualization, loving-kindness, centering prayer, imaginative contemplation, dis-identification, universal identification, circulating chi, building the mandala, bracketing thoughts, staying in the present, doing nothing, tapping into intuition, savouring incense, ritual drumming, ecstatic dance, deep reading, sharpening sensory clarity, …, and the list goes on. Anyone who knows the wondrous zoo of spiritual practices in this world already understands something about neurodiversity. Not to be reductive of course. Spiritual work need not be reduced to brain activity for us to consider that the incredible variation in wisdom practices may be, in part, a reflection of the stunningly diverse ways that human brains function.
Here at CEC we encourage experimentation with lots of different practices—you may have noticed. What you might not know is the reflection and occasional hand-ringing that goes on behind the scenes. At CEC teacher meetings, we voice a recurring doubt that goes something like this:
“If we are constantly changing the practices from week to week and month to month, won’t this result in a total lack of depth for CEC participants? So many of the transformative benefits of meditation are only noticeable after sticking with a single practice. Don’t monks patiently, diligently, cultivate a single path of practice for thousands or even tens of thousands of hours?”
Taking this in, we nod, murmur facilitative grunts and pause for a moment, sitting with the challenge. Then we discuss, asking the question: what might a “core” CEC practice look like? We go around the circle, every teacher sharing from their own experience of deep practice. One teacher suggests Shinzen Young’s definition of core mindfulness skills as concentration, clarity, and equanimity. Another reminds us not to forget loving-kindness. Somebody raises a conter-point that the most helpful practices are those that involve letting go rather than piling more skills to achieve onto an already stressed-out life.
Then, as in any diverse group there are the outliers. I share about my experiences of visionary practices, working in meditation with helpful animate spirit entities and expressing devotion to God through mantra chanting and visualization. The others nod and make an effort to include my esoteric perspective. Although I know my path is less widely shared, I’m grateful to be part of a community that nevertheless makes space for the weird and magical as valid forms of practice. As if to highlight the stark contrasts within our small group, the next teacher in the circle shares about his non-dual practice of realizing the Absolute beyond all form, image or narrative.
At the end of this discussion, we end up re-affirming the CEC Wheel. There is no “core” practice because any supposed core would privilege the needs of some minds/brains at the expense of others. Every week, we ask a teacher to bring us an original practice that is born from their personal struggle to navigate inner reality through the unique instrument of their own brain. Sometimes, this means that a particular week’s practice will fall completely flat with some portion of the community. Yet, each Monday night, when the sit is finished and we invite participants to share their experiences, there is always a handful of people with faces lit-up in enthusiasm. They will share how this unique practice connected as if it were specifically designed for them alone; playing resonant notes in their brain’s distinctive tuning.
This doesn’t mean there is no tradeoff in our approach. When somebody wants to truly master a single rigorous path of practice, CEC Monday Night Sits are unlikely to support that process. If you want to attain the 4th jhana or reach stream entry or merge in Unio Mystica, you will need to look for additional teaching elsewhere. However, I don’t think this is really a problem. After all, to play the violin at an orchestral level, I’m sorry to say, you aren’t going to get there via drop-in classes.
Yet, with contemplative work, there is an added challenge of not knowing at the outset which practices will resonate with your specific neuro-cognitive wiring. Finding the right set of practices is not a simple matter, but more akin to finding the right life-partner. It takes a lot of trial and error, self-reflection, frustration and a large measure of good fortune to stumble into and recognize those paths to which you truly belong. It is my hope that CEC—with its diversity of teachers offering an endless buffet of inner-work practices—can reduce the suffering of this search.
May all the myriad minds, brains and souls swiftly find those sacred practices that are well-fitted to their diverse shapes.
*****